Doing It For The Kids
by Faramirlover
Summary: Harry loves spending time with his children and would do anything for them. but what happens when Al makes a new friend and his dad is the last person Harry wants anything to do with. DMxHP SMxASP
1. Day Care

**A/N: **Hi everyone. My writers block has allowed me a break to write this. It's my first ever (I think) attempted DMxHP and SMxASP in the same story. I really want to know what people think.

James – 8 years old  
Albus Severus – 6 years old  
Scorpius – 6 years old  
Lilly – 4 years old

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing apart from Glenda. The rest is JK's.

**Word Count**: 734

**Chapter One**

It was a rare occasion that there was only Harry and his three children in the house. It made a nice change. Harry loved spending time with his children. More so than spending time with his wife. He loved Ginny, he really did. Just not the way a husband should. He was quite delighted when she went to visit Bill and Fleur for a bit.

Harry managed to wangle a few days off work to give them time to do things like go to the zoo and practise flying. Not that Lilly was old enough to fly yet and not that Al was any good. They spent five fun days together doing whatever they wanted but then Harry had to return to work. Fortunately, the Ministry did have a day care scheme which was free to all employees.

When Harry stepped out of the golden lift onto the third floor of the ministry building he was instantly met by the sigh of half a dozen young children running around shrieking with joy and occasionally throwing bean bags at each other. James instantly ran off to join them, taking Lilly with him. Albus's grip on Harry's hand tightened suddenly and he looked fearfully up at his father. Al had always been very clingy with Harry and hated not being able to see him.

"Daddy. Don't go."

"Sorry, Al. But I have to. I'll be back at lunch time to see you. And I'll try and finish nice and early but I really have to work," Harry could already feel the guilt squirming in the bottom of his stomach and the tears gathering in the corners of Al's eyes were doing nothing to help.

"Please, Daddy."

As though sensing that Harry was about to crack, a witch with tightly curled grey hair, wearing an apron hurried over.

"I'm Glenda. Would you be Mr Potter? And…" she appeared to think hard for a moment "James, Albus and Lilly?"

"That's us. James and Lilly are already playing," Harry said "Al doesn't really want to stay."

"Don't worry about that. He'll be having fun in no time. Come along Albus. Your father has to work," Glenda said and somehow Albus's hand was no longer gripping Harry's but was instead holding Glenda's and he was being lead away towards the other children.

"Bye, Al," Harry called after them but Al didn't reply. He was too busy fighting back tears.

OOOOOO

When Harry returned at half one he half expected to have his youngest son fly out of nowhere and beg him to be taken home. Instead there was no sign of the boy. When he asked Glenda he was informed that Al had made a friend and they were playing in the Lego maze. Harry decided it was best not to interrupt him and after checking on his other children he went back to work.

When half four rolled around he returned and found Al sat morosely at a table, doodling aimlessly on a piece of paper.

OOOOOO

During dinner Al was almost silent. He picked at his food, simply moving it uselessly around his plate rather than eating it. After twenty minutes of this Harry finally snapped.

"What is wrong with you? I heard you made a new friend today; I thought you'd be happy."

"I am happy."

"Then why are you acting so unhappy?"

"Because Cor's dad isn't working tomorrow so I won't get to see him."

James made a huffing sound and rolled his eyes whilst Lilly continued to slurp her orange juice.

"Well," Harry said, thinking hard "Do you want me to ask Glenda who his dad is so he can come round and play?"

Albus's face instantly lit up and he nodded excitedly. The rest of his dinner was wolfed down in a matter of minutes leaving Harry worrying about indigestion. As soon as the kids had finished eating they ran off to play in the back garden. Harry had just finished drying up when he was poked in the arm.

"Dad?"

"Yes James?" he asked, putting down his tea towel and turning to face his eldest son.

"I don't like Al's new friend."

"Why?" Harry asked, feeling confused "What's he done?"

"He hasn't _done_ anything."

"Then I'm not sure I understand. Why don't you like him? If Al likes Cor-"

"His names not Cor!" James half shouted, looking genuinely angry "His names Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy!"

"Oh."

**OOOOOO**

**A/N: **That's all for this chapter.I really wanna know what people think of this and whether I should continue it.


	2. Letters

**A/N**: Thanks for all your reviews. They were great. For future warning, I don't like Ginny very much so prepare for a not brilliant reaction to her. If you do like Ginny, I'm very sorry.

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing.

**Word count: **795

**Chapter Two**

Harry tapped the tip of his quill against the parchment, thinking hard, not noticing the ink splotches he was leaving everywhere. He was trying to think of a way to keep Al away from Scorpius Malfoy without his son hating him. It had been two days since the two boys had met and Al had never once shut up about his best friend 'Cor'.

_I could always tell him that Malfoy didn't want Scorpius to see him. That way Malfoy is that bad guy and I'm the good guy. Then I never let him go to the day care scheme again and he'll never know the truth. He'll forget about the Malfoy boy and we can pretend none of this ever happened. Yeah. That'd work._

"Daddy?" a small voice asked behind him.

He spun on his swivel chair to face Al.

"Hey buddy. How come you're awake?"

"Couldn't sleep. Have you written to Cor's dad yet? Can he come round and play?"

The hopeful look in Al's eyes cut short all of Harry's ideas about trying to separate the two boys.

"I haven't yet. But I will do soon."

Al broke out into a huge grin and ran over to hug Harry's legs.

"Thank you! Can he come to my birthday party? It's next month and mum says I can have a bouncy castle and Cor says he likes bouncy castles so can he come?" Al said in a big rush.

"I'll think about it. A lot of people are coming already."

"Then one more can't hurt," Al said happily, leaning up to kiss his dad on the cheek "Thank-you. Night night, Daddy."

He ran out the room and Harry was horrified to realize that Al had won without him even realising. With a small sigh he took out a clean piece of parchment and began drafting a letter to Malfoy.

_Dear Mr Malfoy,_

_I'm not sure if you have heard from your son but he and my son Albus have apparently formed a friendship. I would be very grateful to you if you would allow your son to come round and play one day next week. It would make Albus very happy._

_Yours truly,_

_Harry Potter_

He sealed it and attached it to his owl's leg before he could allow himself to change his mind. As he watched it swoop away over the roof of the house opposite he realised how late it was and was quite pleased with the idea that Malfoy might have been woken up by his letter. Despite Ginny's chiding over the years Harry still firmly believed in school day rivalries.

OOOOOO

Malfoy's reply letter arrived during breakfast the next day. It was short and proved to Harry that Malfoy had not changed one iota since their childhood.

_Potter you oaf! Do you not know how rude it is to send a letter that late a night? I was asleep, moron!_

_Yes I have heard about your precious 'Al' from Scorpius. Every thirty seconds to be precise. If it is the only way to get him to shut up then yes, your son may visit my son._

_One question: do you have a cat?_

_Draco Malfoy_

Harry thought it rather odd to ask if they had a cat but scribbled a 'yes' on the back of the letter and sent the owl off again. It returned again just as Harry was dishing up Al's favourite lunch, fish fingers, waffles and spaghetti hoops.

_Scorpius is allergic to cats. Violently. Your son must come here if he wishes to see Scorpius. How is next Monday for you? You can bring him at about 10am and he may sleepover if he wishes. Scorpius insists that it will be 'cool'._

_Draco Malfoy_

"Lunch!" he yelled, leaning out the back door so as the kids might hear him at the bottom of the garden.

As fast as lightning they were by the back door, kicking off dirty shoes and dashing past Harry to the table. Harry followed them at a more sedate pace and sat down. There was silence for a few moments as everyone ate until Harry spoke.

"I got a letter from Scorpius' father, Albus."

Albus dropped his fork and stared at Harry, almost shaking with pent up excitement.

"He says that Scorpius can't come round here," Harry said, not missing the grin on James's face "but you can go round to his. You've been invited for a sleepover. Do you want to go?"

Al's response was more enthusiastic that Harry expected. He leapt out of his seat with a yell of triumph and ran out of the room, his dinner forgotten.

"Should I be worried about him? Harry asked.

Lilly looked confused and James's only reply was a scowl and to continue eating.

**OOOOOO**

**A/N: **I know not much happened amd it wasn't very long but I'm just sort of setting up here. More interaction between Harry and Draco next chapter, but not slash yet.

And if anyone has any ideas or anything that they want to share feel free to ask them of me and I'll try and incorporate them or if I can't I'll see if I can make them into a one-shot or something of their own.


	3. Sleepover

**A/N: **Thanks for everyone's reviews. I loved them.

**Disclaimer**: Everything belongs to JK. Our Goddess divine.

**Dedication**: For shinigami-arashi1412, my newest friend.

**Word count**: 1212

**Chapter 3**

Over the next few days Al was too excited to concentrate on anything for long. He had picked up the habit of staying in the tree house all day. Not even Ginny's return caused any change to this. When Harry went to fetch him for dinner, he found the whole floor littered with half finished drawings and the scattered remains of an exploding snap deck.

He overheard an argument between James and Al over his choice of friend but Al seemed unaffected by his brothers reasoning and told him to keep his big fat nose out of his business or he'd hex it. How Al planned to hex his brother when he didn't own a wand, Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know. He suspected that a WWW product was involved and made a mental note to check all of Al's packages from Ron or George.

It was only on Sunday evening, after the children had been put to bed and Harry and Ginny were lain in bed, that Ginny began to express concerns about her son befriending a Malfoy.

"Look, Gin, I don't like it very much either. Merlin knows how I feel about his father but if spending time with Scorpius is going to make Al happy then I'm not going to stop it. And who know, maybe Scorpius isn't a carbon copy of his father. Maybe it's possible for a Malfoy not to be a git."

Ginny's snort of laughter was the only response Harry needed before he too cracked a grin. He pressed a light kiss to her forehead before turning off the lights and settling down to sleep.

The next thing Harry knew, he was being woken up by a sudden addition of weight on his stomach and a cry of "Daddy! It's time to wake up!"

Al bounced on him once before rolling off and running back out of the room. Harry groaned and momentarily considered going back to sleep but decided that being woken up again by a jug of freezing cold water was not something that he wanted to repeat. He followed his son's example and rolled out of bed, hitting the floor with a soft thump before standing up and heading to the en suite. In the doorway he paused and glanced back at Ginny. She was still fast asleep, her wavy red hair fanned out on the pillow around her as she snored on.

When he got down to the kitchen he found Al standing in the middle of the room, glaring.

"Hey, little man," Harry said, ruffling Al's hair as he moved past to the kettle "and particular reason you're glaring at the toaster?"

"It ruined my toast. Twice," pouted the small boy and Harry realised that the smell tickling his nose was burning.

"How about we go with Cheerios then?" Harry asked, lifting down the box, knowing how much Al hated it when people succeeded where he had failed, even with making toast.

Al munched through his Cheerios as fast as lightening and was on his third bowl when Harry sat down with his daily breakfast of coffee. Al finished his fifth and final bowl just as Harry swigged back the last of his coffee.

"Go pick what you want to wear," Harry said, moving to the dishwasher and putting the breakfast things inside "I'll be up in a second. Then it should be about time to head off."

Al was off like a short the second Harry finished talking and Harry could hear him running up the stairs. Harry shut the dishwasher with a clunk and trailed after his son at a more leisurely pace. He reached Al's room to find the boy had scattered practically his whole wardrobe across his bed and was rifling through it all. When he heard Harry's footsteps he turned, clutching a few shirts in his hands.

"Red or blue?" he asked, holding them in front of himself "or the green one? Or orange?"

"Does it really matter, Al? It's not a party or anything."

"I want Cor to think I look good. He looked pretty and I was messy. I want to look good."

Harry was momentarily reminded of someone panicking before a first date, desperate to make a good impression but he pushed this strange thought to the back of his mind before helping his son get ready.

OOOOOO

By the time they had packed Al's bag and got him washed and dressed, Ginny James and Lilly were awake. He kissed them goodbye and said he'd be back soon before taking Al' hand and apparating to the address that Malfoy had sent with his most recent letter. Harry was surprised to find that they weren't at Malfoy Manor. They were in fact stood in front of a house in the middle of what looked like muggle London.

Before Harry could do anything, Al had darted forward and rung the doorbell. It was answered almost a moment later by a small blonde boy with silvery eyes.

"Rus!"

"Cor!"

Scorpius grabbed Al's hand and he was pulled into the house.

"I have to show you my trampoline!" Scorpius said and the two boys disappeared, running down the hall and out of sight.

Harry stood, dumbfounded, on the front step. He had been sure that Scorpius Malfoy would be much more controlled and calm than Al was, but it seemed that the other boy was even more excited. It didn't fit into Harry's image of the Malfoy family at all.

"Are you going to stand there all day, Potter or are you going to come in?"

Draco Malfoy's voice still held the same drawl as it had during their school days but his voice had deepened and Harry was almost embarrassed by the fact that he had thought the other man sounded quite good. As he stepped into the hallway he found that Malfoy still looked pretty much the same but had grown into his features., the same why that he had grown into his tone of voice. It suited him. The pointed chin looked elegant and he no longer looked painfully thin, rather he looked lithe and muscular.

"Don't gawp, Potter. It doesn't suit you."

"I wasn't gawping, Malfoy," Harry snapped back, disappointed that he couldn't think of a better come back.

Malfoy's smile told him he had noticed.

"Here's Al's bag," Harry said, holding it out "make sure he takes his tablets after dinner. He'll know which ones. What time do you want me to come get him tomorrow?"

"About 11?"

"Ok. Tell Al I said bye."

Harry's heart began to flutter and he had to fight down a wave of panic at the thought of leaving his son with someone else for over 24 hours. Determined not to lose face in front of Malfoy he put on a brave expression and stomped back to the front door. He was halfway outside when a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Is this the first time he's stayed at a friend's house?"

"Yes," Harry replied, wondering how the blonde had known.

"Then you're worried. I would be too. Do you want to stay here as well? So you know he's okay."

Harry almost fainted with relief and nodded before he had even considered the consequences.

**OOOOOO**

**A/N: **There we are. I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter. And I hope you're looking forward to reading it.

Now review! Please.


	4. Small Talk

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter. They were brilliant. I'm working most of this week and then I'm on holiday next week so you might not get an update for a while after this. Though I will be writing the next chapter(s) whilst on a sun bed.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing at all. Yet! #evil laugh#

**Dedication: **For Bianca. Who I guess proposed to me in her last review. Oh, and the idea you left in your review? It's gonna sorta be something like that.

**Word count**: 1423

**Chapter Four**

"You know," Draco said as he and Potter settled down into the squishy sofa's, clutching cups of coffee "you should probably let Weaslette know that you're staying here. Don't want wifey worrying that I've murdered you or anything."

Draco was amused by the flick of something that looked lick fear which passed across Potter's face.

"You're right, Malfoy," he said, frowning slightly, then said almost to himself "she never reads letters… Can I use your Floo?"

Draco nodded and gestured to the fireplace.

"Powder's in the black jar on the left. I'll go check on the kids," on a small whim he decided to wind Potter up a little "last time Scorpius was on his trampoline he managed to fall off and break his leg."

Potter looked momentarily terrified before he caught the grin that Draco was trying to disguise.

"You're twisted, Malfoy," Harry said, though he appeared to be smiling a little too.

"Thank you," Draco said as seriously as he could manage, rising elegantly from his sofa as Potter did the same, with slightly less grace, and left the room.

He left Potter in the lounge and went to find the children. From the kitchen window he could see they were indeed on the trampoline, but instead of bouncing they were sat cross-legged in the middle, knees touching, staring intently at each other. He could only see Scorpius' back from where he was stood but Mini-Potter looked deadly serious. Then he grinned brightly and leant forward till his face was obscured by Scorpius' own head. He couldn't tell what the boys were doing but it looked like Al Potter was whispering to Scorpius.

He was half tempted to go out into the garden and check on them properly when they pulled away from each other, both of them clearly laughing. It was an odd feeling to see two people who were the spitting image of himself and Potter together, enjoying each other's company. Maybe that's what they themselves could have been like if Potter had accepted his hand.

With a shake of his head, Draco dismissed this thought and went to join the boys in the garden. In the short time it had taken for him to move from the window to the back door, the boys had gotten to their feet and were bouncing round, both trying to bounce higher than the other.

"How you two doing?" he asked, perching himself on the edge of the trampoline.

"Tell, Rus that I'm bouncing higher."

"No. I'm higher," Al said, pouting at Scorpius' back "he's your dad. It's not fair to ask him."

Scorpius stuck his tongue out in reply and timed his bounce just after Al's so he went higher.

"Cheat!" Al cried, and leapt at Scorpius.

For a second Draco was worried that the two boys had already followed in his and Potter's footsteps and were going to start brawling. Instead they started tickling. The rolled around, both trying to get the upper hand and make the other give in. Draco was loath to admit how cute it actually was. He watched the two of them for a few moments more before heading back inside to see if Potter had finished his Floo call.

He glanced in through the living room doorway and was met with the sight of Potter's backside stuck in the air as he talked through the fireplace. He allowed himself a moment to contemplate the view before mentally slapping himself and backing out of the room. He stopped mid step at the sound of his own name.

"Yes, Ginny. I know you don't trust Malfoy… No! That's not why I'm staying. I do trust him with Al. It's because I've never left him with anyone other than family before and you know how anxious Al and I can get when we're apart… No, Ginny you're being unreasonable. I'm staying and that the end of it."

Harry pulled back from the fireplace with a pop and pushed himself back up onto his feet. When he saw Draco stood, frowning, in the doorway his face flushed with embarrassment.

"You heard that, huh?"

Draco nodded.

"I'm sorry about, Ginny. Sometimes she just says stuff that she doesn't really mean."

Draco shrugged in an attempt to show he didn't care. Which he didn't. The frown was caused, not by the Weaslette, but by the way Potter had actually defended him. Sort of. He pulled himself out of his thoughts and gestured to cup that Potter had just picked up.

"Would you like another cup of coffee? I'm sure that one's cold."

Potter nodded and Draco took the cup from him. To his surprise, Potter followed him into the kitchen. As Draco refilled the kettle, Potter started peering in cupboards. After a few moments he gave up.

"Mugs?"

"Cupboard above the teapot."

Potter nodded his thanks, took out a couple of mugs and added the coffee he had found earlier in his search. As they waited for the kettle to boil Potter seemed to come to the conclusion that small talk was needed to fill the silence.

"So, Malfoy? What exactly is it that you do? I know you must work in the ministry for Scorpius to have been at the day care scheme."

"Well," Draco began "technically I don't work at the ministry. I'm a freelance potions maker. The department of mysteries sometimes needs potions inventing that do specific things. They come to me and I create them. I normally do my work at home so there's someone here for Scorpius but there are times when I need to have access to tings that aren't allowed out of the department."

Draco had given this speech so many times that he didn't really need to think about what he was saying. He waited for the usual response of a bored 'oh' and then the swift change of topic. Potter's reply genuinely surprised him.

"Really? That must be a great job. And the chance to spend so much time with your son. That must be a huge bonus."

Draco barely had time to nod before Potter was asking more questions.

"So what sort of things do they ask you to do? Is it challenging? Or is it really easy?"

They spent a good half hour like this, Potter bombarding Draco with questions about work and Draco delighting in having someone who was genuinely interested to talk to about it. At some point they had moved to the kitchen table and were both leaning over it towards each other, talking earnestly. The talk shifted from Draco's job to Harry's and Draco was surprised to find that Harry hadn't become an Auror and was, in fact, a healer.

"I'm basically the ministry's Madam Pomfrey," Harry said as though it were nothing impressive "It's so that they don't have to constantly send people to St Mungo's. I mainly work with the Auror department but every department has accidents."

Harry paused to take a sip of his now cold coffee and grimaced in disgust at the taste.

"Three members of the department for international games and sports came to me a couple of weeks ago because they'd broken their legs trying out the new cleansweap. In their office!"

Draco laughed something that was half snigger, half snort

"Exactly. What did they expect would happen? Oh, and paper cuts. I get a lot of paper cuts coming my way. They all whinge like babies about them. It's pathetic."

They spent another half hour of Harry telling stories about all the stupid injuries he'd had to work on. And some of the horrific ones. He got slightly annoyed with Draco when he learnt that the multiple burns and rashes that he'd had to deal with on about half a dozen unspeakables were because of one of Draco's slightly malfunctioning potions.

They were just about to start discussing their new minister's incompetence when giggling from the open back door was heard. Draco turned in his seat to see Al and Scorpius stood in the doorway, giggling at them.

Draco raised an eyebrow at the pair of them but they just grinned in reply.

"See, I told you Cor. I told you my Daddy and your Daddy would be best friends too. Just like us."

And that's when it hit Draco. He'd been getting along with Potter! He glanced at Harry and saw that he looked as shocked as Draco felt. There was an uncomfortable silence which the boys decided to fill with:

"Daddy! Can we go to the zoo?"

**OOOOOO**

**A/N: **Right, I'm leaving it there. I've got housework to do and I have to be at work not very far in the future. I hope you liked this chapter and I would love to hear your opinions in reviews.


	5. Snakes

**A/N: **Hi guys. I hope I haven't made you wait too long. I've been on holiday so haven't been able to post, but I did get to write whilst I was lying on a sun bed so that was a plus.

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing at all.

**Dedication:** Once again for Bianca who still seems to want to marry me.

**Word count:** 2,009

**Chapter Five**

We went a couple of days ago," Harry said "why do you want to go again?"

"Not a magic zoo. A muggle zoo," Al explained as though he were talking to someone rather stupid.

At the mention of the word muggle, Harry turned to Malfoy, expecting a look of disgust or horror but there was none. Instead he looked vaguely interested in the idea. Scorpius recognised this slight sign of weakness and leapt into action. Instantly he was in his fathers lap, puppy dog eyes at full blast.

"Can we, Dad? Please? We promise we'll be good. Don't we Rus?"

Al nodded fervently in reply, switching his puppy dog eyes on too.

Malfoy groaned, clearly knowing that there was no way he could say no, before gesturing at Harry.

"Don't make me decide. Ask him."

Moments later Harry had a lap full of begging six year olds and Harry knew that he, like Malfoy, was cornered.

**OOOOOO**

The zoo wasn't that busy, given that it was a Monday and most were stuck at work. Draco momentarily wondered why Potter wasn't at work too but pushed it aside again. It wasn't like it mattered to him.

They visited the lions first, on Scorpius' request. Draco found this slightly alarming. No son of his was going to be a Gryffindor! Sure, he'd put aside his prejudices, well most of them, since he'd left school but he had to draw the line somewhere. It was almost too much that he'd gone and made friends with Golden Boy's son. What was worse was that it seemed he was only two steps away from making friends with the Golden Boy himself.

Draco pulled himself put of his daydream in time to hear the Potter kid asking if they could go see the snakes. Now here was a kid after his own heart, pity he was a Potter.

As they reached the reptile house they found a man dressed in the zoo employee's uniform with a snake hung round his neck was giving a talk to half a dozen people, presumably about snakes. Al and Scorpius' leapt forward and began to listen raptly to the man.

"Now," said the man, unwinding the snake from around his neck "would anyone like to hold this little guy?"

Both Scorpius and Al's hands leapt into the air, accompanied by eager attention drawing squeaks.

The man laughed and wrapped the snake around both of them, as they were so small and the snake quite large. The rest of the crowd trickled away most of them heading inside the reptile house.

"Look Dad," Scorpius called, stroking the snake's tail.

"We're holding a snake," Al finished for him, looking proud as petted the snake's scaly nose and was rewarded with a lick to his fingers.

"We can see," Draco and Potter replied together and laughed.

"Hey kids, let me show you a trick," Potter said, bending down so he was on face level with the snake and hissed.

The snake instantly unwrapped itself from around the boys and hung itself round Harry instead.

"You might want to watch this too, Malfoy. It's not every day Harry Potter performs with snakes." Then he was hissing again, eyes locked with the snakes, occasional hand gestures accompanying whatever it was he was saying.

Much as Draco hated to admit it, the sounds coming from Potter's mouth were bloody hot. After a moment the hissing stopped and the snake slid down Potter's body and started writing words in the dusty path at Scorpius and Al's feet.

_Hello Al and Scorpius_

Once the snake was done, it slithered back up Harry, curled round his arm like it would a tree branch and went to sleep. The praise Potter got for the display was enough to make Draco jealous. Stupid perfect Potter.

They gave the snake back to the confused zoo man and went inside the retile house where Potter found a tank full of little red snakes and crouched down to have a little chat with them. Once again the hissing started to get to Draco and he had to imagine Dumbledore in a bikini to stop it having an adverse affect on his anatomy.

Draco was sure it hadn't had the same effect in second year, mind you, Potter hadn't worn such tight clothes or had the same tight backside when they were twelve.

For the next four hours the children pulled them from animal enclosure to animal enclosure, giving neither himself nor Potter and choice in the matter. It was only when Draco bought them all ice lollies that they were allowed to stay in one place for more then a few seconds.

**OOOOOO**

By the time Malfoy swung his Punto (yeah, Harry was surprised too) into a space outside his house, it was almost seven and the boys were snuggled together, fast asleep on the back seat, the two of them snoring lightly.

Malfoy whispered 'cute' at Harry with a grin before picking Al up and carrying him up the front steps and into the house. Harry followed him, Scorpius cautiously cradled in his arms, carefully shutting the car and front doors so as to not wake he boy.

"We'll let them sleep till dinner, Draco said, leading the way up to Scorpius' bedroom and laying Al down atop the midnight blue duvet cover.

Harry put Scorpius beside him and they retreated silently from the room.

"Right then, Potter," Malfoy said as they entered the kitchen "what shall I cook for dinner then?"

"You cook?"

"Yes, Potter. I cook. Have you seen any house elves in the time you've been here?" Malfoy said, with a raised eyebrow and a slight smirk.

"I guess not. I thought maybe… you're wife?"

"My wife left me just of Scorpius was born. Looking after a child was never going to be Astoria's thing."

Harry felt terrible for bringing it up.

"I'm so sorry, Malfoy. If I'd know I wouldn't have said anything."

"Of course you wouldn't," Malfoy said, but his tone was soft, not accusatory as it once would have been "Now, how about Moussaka? It's what I was planning to have. Unless you don't like it?"

"Not like it? I love it. It's my favourite dish in the universe," Harry said, then blushed at how over enthusiastic he was being.

Draco, however, was smiling. This made Harry grin in return.

"A man after my own heart. Scorpius won't touch it. He says its 'icky'. This coming from the boy whose top taste sensation is fish fingers."

"With waffles and spaghetti hoops?" Harry asked with a laugh.

"Yes… how did you know?" Malfoy asked, looking perplexed.

"It's Al's favourite."

"Scorpius' too. Looks like I'll be making that for them for dinner then. If you can call it making it, just sticking it in the oven."

There were a few moments of silence as Malfoy frowned over the idea of cooking something so unhealthy and having no say as to what went into his son's food.

"It's quite scary how similar those two are sometimes. They're really close already. Did you notice they were holding hands earlier? When they were eating those lollies."

"No. I didn't."

"Never mind. It's probably nothing," Draco shrugged and started to pull ingredients out of his fridge.

"You know, Malfoy, you're not as much of a git as I thought you were."

Malfoy looked up, an aubergine in one hand and an expression of surprise on his face.

"Thanks Potter," he said, but his voice lacked its past sarcasm "you're not that bad yourself really. I guess we've grown up."

"I'd drink to that," Harry said, the grin that had died during the serious moment of the conversation coming back full force.

"What a good idea," Draco said, pulling a bottle of red wine from a rack on the side "open," he commanded "bottle openers in the draw next to the fridge and there are glasses in the cupboard above the toaster."

Half an hour later Malfoy had finished preparing his Moussaka and Harry was pulling the fish fingers from the oven when the sound of running feet upstairs announced that the boys were awake.

"I swear they're psychic," Harry said as he plated up and put the food on the table. Malfoy chuckled in reply and poured the boys some orange juice.

Seconds later Scorpius and Al burst into the kitchen with a cry of 'fish fingers!' and leapt at their dinners. The food vanished in a matter of minutes, leaving behind only a few orangey sauce smudges that hinted at the previous presence of the spaghetti hoops. The boys looked particularly smug with themselves.

"Right," Malfoy said, clearing up the plates "you can watch one dvd then you have to go to bed. No arguments."

The two boys grumbled but stood up and moved toward the living room.

"Al! Take your tablets," Harry said, fishing in his pocket and pulling out two bottles of pills that he'd retrieved from Al's bag earlier.

Al scowled in reply but took the pills that Harry offered him. He glared down at the innocent looking orange and pink pills before tipping his head back and swallowed them with practised ease.

"Good boy," Harry said, ruffling Al's hair "go pick something to watch."

The boys ran out of the room, leaving Harry and Malfoy alone in the kitchen once again.

"What are those tablets for, Potter?"

Harry's gaze hardened and he copied his son's actions and glared at the bottles in his hands.

"They drain his magic until there's none left in his body. It's rather painful. He's been taking them since he was three years old."

"That's horrible, Potter."

"You have no idea. He's practically a squib and I have to force that on him every day. He'll probably never feel that wonderful tingle of doing proper magic for the first time. He'll most likely never be allowed a wand. I doubt he'll ever go to Hogwarts. I don't even know if he'll ever be old enough to go to Hogwarts. The strain the pills put on his body might kill him first. And… and…" Harry's voice broke and he was suddenly crying into Draco's shoulder, hands fisted his shirt and creasing it beyond redemption.

Draco didn't know what to do, just held him as he cried, rubbing soothing circles into the muscles of his back. Eventually the tears stopped and Harry pulled away, still sniffing slightly.

"Merlin, look at me. I'm a wreck. And I've ruined your shirt! I'm sorry Draco."

If Draco was taken aback by the use of his first name, he didn't show it. Instead he reached out and wiped the remaining tears from Harry's cheeks.

"Forget it. Why don't you go have a sleep? I'll keep an eye on the boys."

Harry nodded and Draco led him upstairs.

"I haven't got a guest room so mine will have to do."

"What! No. I couldn't take your room from you. I feel bad enough as it is. I'll just-"

"Harry!" Draco cut him off.

"Yes?"

"Shut up, you fool, and go to sleep."

Harry nodded and went into Draco's bedroom, shutting the door behind. Draco leant against the door for a few moments, listening to him shuffling around the room. Then there was the sound of a light being turned off and the soft rustling of the duvet being pulled back and the minute creak of the bed springs as Harry lay down. Draco remained where he was until the faint sounds of snoring met his ears and he knew Harry was asleep.

Knowing it was wrong but being unable o help himself, Draco pushed the bedroom door open again and allowed himself a few moments of watching Harry sleep. Harry was curled in the foetal position, his black hair fanned across the white satin sheets like a halo. The stress of their earlier discussion had been wiped from his face and he was sleeping like a baby. Draco smiled and shut the door again, before going downstairs to check on the boys.

**OOOOOO**

**A/N: **That's all for now. I hope you liked it and I would love to get some reviews.


	6. Dreams

**A/N**: Hi! This chapter isn't as long as the last but I hope you like it.

**Dedication**: For Mad Mogg who gave one of the first reviews for my last chapter and began the swarm of questions about Al's pills.

**Word count**: 1488

**Chapter Six**

The lights flickered on and off rapidly, disorientating Harry and making him stumble as he pulled himself from the bed. The air crackled with uncontrolled magic and Harry almost felt as though he were drowning in the stuff. The whole house seemed to be filled with a rushing wind as he pulled himself into the hall and over the howl of it he could hear a baby crying. His baby.

He fought the push of the magic all the way down the hall to his son's room where the tiny child was bawling at the centre of the magical whirlwind. Harry was battered aside by another wave of magic as he tried to reach the small child and the crying increased. With a last surge of strength Harry pushed himself to the crib's edge and scooped the tiny child into his arms.

The magic instantly died away and the child went silent in his arms. Silent and still. Too much so. All his attempts to get a reaction from the baby were fruitless. Despair filled Harry's heart and it was all he could do to keep from weeping. He hadn't been able to save him.

**OOOOOO**

"Al!" Harry yelled, waking with a start, covered in a cold sweat.

For a moment he couldn't think straight and was filled with worry. Then reality came back, washing over him in reassuring waves, reminding that everything was okay, that his son was fine, that he had been in time to save to Al. But he couldn't help the sickness that clawed at his stomach when he thought of that night when his son's life had hung by a thread.

He glanced around the room for a clock and realised that he'd only been asleep a couple of hours. He wondered briefly if the boys had managed to wangle another video out of Draco or if Draco had won and they were tucked up safe and sound, asleep in bed.

Harry heaved himself out of Draco's extremely comfortable bed and checked he was decent before heading along the landing to see of the boys were in Scorpius' room. A quick glance through the door showed him the two boys snuggled together under the covers, only tufts of black and blonde hair sticking out above the sheets and two lumps to show they were actually there. Instantly his heart calmed as he allowed himself to accept that Al was safe and sound.

He smiled gently before heading back to Draco's room to go to sleep when he realised that he didn't know where Draco was. Thinking that he might still be downstairs watching TV he padded softly down the stairs and stuck his head round the doorframe.

Draco was indeed still downstairs and the television was on, flickering away in the darkened room, the sound turned down so low that Harry could only hear a faint buzz of noise rather than words. But Draco wasn't watching it. The blonde haired man was fast asleep, soft breaths emanating from his barely parted lips.

Draco Malfoy could definitely be accurately described as 'cute' especially when he was asleep. That was something he never would have admitted back when they were in Hogwarts. Hell, he wasn't sure he wanted to admit it now. Chuckling lightly to himself at how Ron would react if he could hear Harry's thoughts, Harry moved properly into the room to stand beside the sofa's edge, peering down at Draco's sleeping form.

_The position he's in can't be any good or his back_, Harry thought, _and then he'll wake up all grouchy and nobody wants that. Well, as there's only one bed left, we'll just have to share._

Harry gently shook Draco's shoulder, rousing him but not enough to make him fully alert.

"Come on, Blondie. Bed time. Up you get."

Draco looked confused and still half asleep but he allowed Harry to pull him to his feet and lead the way upstairs. It was obvious that there was no way Malfoy could coordinate getting undressed by himself so Harry forced himself to ignore how weird it was that he was undressing Draco Malfoy and helped him strip down to just his boxers. As soon as the blonde was snuggled down on one side of the double bed, Harry stripped off himself and settled in on the other side.

"Why're we sharing a bed?" Draco asked, looking confused again "Did we have sex?"

Harry couldn't help but splutter and turn bright red.

"No, we didn't. Go to sleep, Draco."

"Ok. Night Harry," Draco murmured, wriggling slightly until he was perfectly comfortable then falling back into a deep sleep.

Harry watched him for a few moments before turning away and falling asleep himself.

**OOOOOO**

Harry was woken by the sound of soft giggling. He opened his eyes blearily, still half asleep, and sat up to see a blonde and a black haired blob sat watching him from the end of the bed. They were clearly the sources of the disruptive noise.

""It's too early," he mumbled, flopping back against the pillows and closing his eyes again "wake up your mum."

He gestured at the other side of the bed without looking.

"Who you calling your wife, Potter?"

This woke Harry up. He at bolt upright as memories came rushing back. He was sharing a bed with Draco Malfoy! Merlin only knew why that had seemed like a good idea last night. And he's just called him his wife. Could it get any worse?

"What are you two giggling about?" Harry demanded, desperate to take his embarrassment out on someone.

"You were cuddling when we came in earlier," Al supplied "it was funny."

Okay, so yes, it could get worse.

Draco seemed to agree with him and made a retching noise.

"Right Kiddlywinks. You run off and destroy something for a bit whilst we get dressed," Draco said, checking under the covers to see how much clothing he was actually wearing.

Not a lot, Harry's brain supplied.

Al and Scorpius seemed to like the idea of destroying something and ran out of the room, laughing about something Harry didn't quite understand.

"Come on, Potter. Out of bed. I've got some clothes you can borrow. Don't want you wandering about in your undies all day. We're not all crazed fan girls," he said with a laugh, throwing back the covers and clambering out of bed.

He was gone a few moments later, closing the door of what Harry assumed to be an en-suite behind him. Harry meant to get out of bed too and head to the other bathroom down the hall but after a few moments the shower turned on and the sound of the water eased him back to sleep.

**OOOOOO**

Harry didn't wake up again until something began gently nudging his arm, he tried to brush it away but it persisted, pulling him back towards consciousness.

"Come on, Harry. I let you have an extra hour sleep. You'll get ill if you seep too much. And Al will kill me if I let you get ill."

Somehow, this woke Harry up properly.

"Alright, I get it. I'm just so tired."

"Do you ever get enough sleep?" Draco asked, perched on the edge of the bed as Harry sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Not really. Work tends to get in the way. I need to be available all the time. I only have today and yesterday off because I've taken hardly any holiday in the past few months and I either take it or lose it," Harry said, briefly wondering when he had become comfortable talking to Draco about his personal life, dressed only in his boxers.

"Do you enjoy your work?"

"I love it. But sometimes I wish I could quit and open my own practice. I wouldn't have to answer to anyone and I could get someone in to make potions for me properly so I wouldn't be worried all the time about the being wrong. The ministry says it costs too much. I cope or I quit. But Ginny thinks it's a stupid idea. And she doesn't want the extra stress around the house so…"

"So you're gonna say goodbye to your dreams because of her?"

"Yeah. We're a couple. It's what couples do. They sacrifice things for each other."

"No, couples aren't about sacrifice. They're about supporting each other to help them make the best of their lives. That's why my wife and I split up. She wanted me to sacrifice everything for her. She left when I said no. We weren't a real couple. And neither are you and Ginny. You should follow your dreams, not your wife."

Without another word Draco stood up and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Harry sat, staring at the closed door, wondering why Draco was so bothered about his life when it had nothing at all to do with the blonde.

**OOOOOO**

**A/N: **I hope you liked that chapter and that the start gives you a little clue as to why Al takes pills. If not, have no fear. All will become clear. A review would surely speed my next chapter. What the hell is happening to my speech? I sound practically medieval. Lol


	7. Unhappy

**A/N**: Hey! At last we have another chapter. Sorry. There are more apologies at the end of the chapter.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything at all.

**Word count**: 1310

**Unhappy**

Harry entered the kitchen to find Al and Scorpius sat at the kitchen table, flicking rice crispies at each other, occasionally changing their target to Draco, who was leant next to the sink. He didn't seem to notice that quite a few had got stuck in his hair, just popping the few that he did see into his mouth, grinning at the two boys at the table. They were chatting happily but harry couldn't hear what they were saying, they were too quiet. Suddenly Scorpius leapt from his chair into Draco's arms, giggling hysterically. Al was laughing too and when he spotted Harry stood in the doorway he followed Scorpius' example and launched himself into his father's arms.

"What's got you so hyper?" Harry asked, pulling Al into his arms properly and setting him on his hip, smoothing his hair.

"Uncle Draco said you're pretty."

Harry decided to store the 'uncle' comment for later evaluation and instead focus on the reason behind the delicate pink blush that was spreading across Draco's cheeks.

"I'm pretty?"

Draco didn't seem able to control the blush which increased at Harry's words.

"They're miss-quoting. I said pretty dumb," Draco denied.

"No," sing-songed a delighted Scorpius, "you said pretty _but_ dumb."

Draco's blush intensified but he shook his head obstinately, his blonde hair flicking his cheeks. Harry couldn't help but think that it made him look innocent and delicate. This rather breathtaking display was somewhat ruined by the half a dozen rice crispies that flew from Draco's blonde locks at the sudden motion. If anything Draco was the pretty one of the two.

Harry almost hit himself for thinking that and decided to take it out on Draco himself.

"Who knew? It seems Draco Malfoy actually has a soft spot for me."

"You believe that if you want to, Potter. It won't get you anywhere."

Draco's embarrassment had turned to hostility and Harry knew when not to push the blonde. Years of fighting with him had at least taught him that much. Harry sighed.

"Right, Al. We should be heading home now. Go get your things."

Al grumbled but left the room, stomping loudly up the stairs. Scorpius ran after him after a moment, also seemingly disappointed.

"You really know how to make your kids day," Draco said, the sarcasm heavily evident in his voice.

"I just figured that you would have had enough of having Potters around."

"How kind."

Al and Scorpius came running back before Harry could reply, Al's bag held between them.

"Got everything?"

"I think so. Do we have to go?"

"Yes we do. Sorry Al. Say good bye."

Al's bottom lip wobbled but he did as he was told.

"Bye Cor."

Scorpius' response was to throw his arms round Al in a tight hug. Al's bottom lip was wobbling even more and only the knowledge that Al was the best actor in the family stopped Harry from caving on his decision to go. They left a few minutes later, Al politely thanking Draco for having them over then hurrying down the steps, stopping at the bottom and waiting for his father.

"Err... thanks for letting me stay. Erm," Harry uncertainly held his hand out for Draco to take.

Draco considered him for a moment before taking it and shaking it briefly, letting go as quickly as he could.

"Bye, Draco. See you around."

Draco nodded in acknowledgement before stepping back inside the house and shutting the door with a snap. Harry sighed and shuffled down the steps to join his son. He took Al's hand and prepared to apparated. In the last moment before he popped out of existence he saw Draco watching him from an upstairs window, his expression unreadable from Harry's distance. And then they were gone.

**OOOOOO**

Al was moping. There was really no other way to describe the way the boy flopped unhappily around the house. He seemed to have taken a vow of silence and refused to talk to anyone. At first Harry had found it amusing that his usually noisy and boisterous son was being so quiet but the quiet had become subdued until Harry was genuinely worried. Ginny told him he was worrying over nothing and that Al was just going through a phase

When they reached the week mark and Al still hadn't spoken, Harry decided he'd had enough.

"Al?" he gently pushed the door of his son's bedroom open to find the small boy sat in the middle of the floor, carefully stacking wooden blocks one on top of the other "Al? Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

Al shook his head in reply. He gently placed the last block on the top of his stack and shuffled backwards to look at it properly.

"Say something, Al. Anything."

Al didn't react only stared at his blocks for a few more moments before reaching over and demolishing the tower with one swipe.

"If there's something wrong I can't make it better unless you tell me what it is."

Al ignored him in favour of gathering his blocks together and starting to stack them up once more. Harry sighed. Deciding he was getting nowhere he backed out of the room and shut the door. He stayed there for a few minutes, listening to the muffled sounds of Al playing with his blocks. Harry groaned and rubbed his eyes in frustration.

He was pretty sure that he knew what was causing Al's silence. He was sulking about something and Harry positive that it was something to do with Scorpius Malfoy.

He left his son to his silence and went downstairs to his study.

**OOOOOO**

"Harry, get the door!"

"James, get the door."

"Al, get the door."

"If someone doesn't get the door this second you will _all_ be in for a world of pain!"

Harry grumbled and stood up, dropping his spoon back into his bowl of cornflakes with a clatter and moving into the hall. He could just about make out a silhouette through the windows beside the door but couldn't tell who it was.

He wrenched the door open, fully prepared to be grouchy with whoever it was because, well, he was just in one of those moods. The annoyance died when the door swung open to reveal Draco Malfoy stood on his doorstep.

"Draco?"

"Harry," the other man acknowledged "Don't stand there with your mouth open like that. It's very unseemly. Either invite me in or join me outside."

"Erm..."

"As eloquent as ever. I got your letter about Al so decided to come take him off your hands. Scorpius is being just as sulky," Harry realised he hadn't paid much attention to what Draco was saying, instead focussing on a wisp of hair that had flopped in front of Draco's eyes "Well... do you want me to take him back to mine?"

"Sorry?" Harry snapped back to reality.

"You are atrocious, Potter. Come on... grab your son and let's go. We can take them to an amusement park or something if we hurry up."

"Oh... err. Right. I'll just get Al, shall I?" Harry asked, more than slightly confused.

Draco smirked but it wasn't unpleasant, and made a shooing gesture. At the breakfast table Al had stopped eating and was watching Harry with an expression of great expectation.

"Who's at the door, dear?" Ginny asked.

"Draco."

"Malfoy?"

"Do we know any other Dracos?" Harry asked "grab your coat, Al. We're going out with the Malfoys today."

Al gave a squeak of delight and darted out of the room.

"But Harry... we were supposed to be going out today. As a family," Ginny looked annoyed but Harry just shrugged in reply.

"You three go. Al wouldn't have been happy anyway. See you later, kids."

He left, leaving Ginny angrily muttering in the kitchen, Lilly looking unsurprised and James stabbing unhappily at his bacon.

**OOOOOO**

A/N: I am so so so so sorry about how long this has taken. You would not believe how much trouble I've been having writing anything anywhere near half decent for ages. I'll try and do better now. Please review.


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